This study particularly focused on the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer. The objective was to study the profile and genotypic prevalence of HPV among HIV infected and HIV uninfected women.
Method: The study was conducted in Ouagadougou, from February 2009 to January 2013 and involved 421 women: 183 HIV positive women (HIV+) and 238 HIV-negative women (HIV-). PCR/hybridization and real-time PCR were performed for the detection of high and low-risk HPV genotypes.
Results: The two populations of women differed in socio-economic, behavioral and sexual characteristics. HPV prevalence was 24.8% and 63.9%, respectively, among HIV- and HIV+ women. Except for HPV16, HPV52, HPV58 and HPV6, which were higher in HIV- women compared to HIV+ women, it's the opposite effect that was found for the other genotypes. We found many more cases of co-infection with three or more genotypes in HIV- women compared to HIV+ women. Contraceptive use and low CD4 count were associated with HPV infection in HIV+ women (p < 0.05). Parameters such as age group, marital status, occupation, level of education, history of gynecological infection, and condom use differed according to HIV status (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Through this study, we found that HPV are highly prevalent among HIV positive women in Burkina Faso. However, given the high prevalence of other HPV types than 16 and 18, in our study, another type of vaccine should be considered to cover them. In the meantime, the results of this study could be a springboard for the introduction of vaccines against HPV already existing in Burkina Faso.
